The Week of Coffee, Chocolate and the Box-Set

If someone was ever to write a book about my life then the last few days would be referred to as the title of this post. After initially getting over the confusion as to why someone was writing my biography (and checking they were mentally sound) I would have to ensure that such names were used to describe the inane details of my life - I doubt if it would be an easy read. This last week of my holiday has been spent drinking my favourite brown coloured drink (closely followed by a cup of Bovril), eating more chocolate that I have in the last 5 years and watching the same amount of House as I usually do in these times of 'vacation'. If you read my post on Monday night then you were probably thinking afterwards just how much better you're holiday has been than mine. The truth is that it's actually not so bad at the other end of these fingers that type this sweet poetry to you this evening.

I've spent a lot of thinking time thinking (which makes sense but also makes me sound like I set aside time to think, which I don't) over these holidays. If I had spent that time not thinking then I guess it would not have been thinking time and therefore it would have just been 'time' and that would have read 'I've spent a lot of time over these holidays' which is also true - it's all there in Monday's post, this is merely a revision session. The last few days have been slightly more geared towards me reflecting or trying to work things out because I've been in the house for most of that time whilst everyone else is at work - jokes have been made but not appreciated; a mental note of which has been taken. It is the first time that I've ever been in the house when everyone else has headed off to their 9-5 jobs (with my Sister only coming out of uni when I started second year) and it's a different environment to be in. Inspirational? Probably not because they are like zombies at 6pm whilst I can still provide enough wit to run a small village on, but it has opened my eyes somewhat.

In a few years time I'm going to be doing the same thing. The box-set will have to wait until the weekend and my hair will slowly start to fall out (genetically speaking) but a part of me wants it to happen now. Those of you that have the pleasure/joy (delete as appropriate) of knowing me well enough will know the dark truth that, at 19, I've never had a proper job. I've earned a poxy £28 from blogging (and had a mini party when I was paid which only one person attended) but that is about it. If I could start a 9-5 job next Monday (either way I'm determined to get the rest of this holiday) then I would be doing it but, apart from being less than qualified, I don't think I'm ready for it. 

This is where that whole 'thinking time thinking' thing comes into play again. I was an OK scout for the time that I was actually a scout (apologies if this post is jumping about more than me on a night out) or at least I can remember that the motto is 'Be Prepared' - that's good enough for me by the way. To dilute my point and to get you back to playing Internet games or watching...well whatever it was that you were watching, I've decided that it might be time to start prepping myself for the future. Wow that could have been said a long time ago and I could have packed up and gone home - if I wasn't already home that is.

When I left high school one of my best teachers (arguably my best) told me that I needed to treat my university degree as if it was a proper job. He said that I should work a set amount of hours every day and turn it into a routine. I walked out of that building for one of the last times that day with one of the soundest pieces of advice that anyone has ever given me. I even tried to implement it in first year (I used to go back to my flat straight after lectures on a daily basis and try to work) but I just couldn't do it. For a few weeks it worked and I probably had the best work ethic in the land but the impossibility of keeping that up soon hit me hard and I lost interest pretty quickly - I'm pretty good at pool now though. Now I'm ready to try again and see where it gets me. With what will undoubtedly be 5 of the most taxing months of my life (I'm doing tax law for the first time next semester but no pun was intended) and I'm going to need something more than the two or three weeks I gave myself to get ready for the Christmas exams.

Maybe on Monday I will start my first job ever but it's not going to be paid, I won't get any references out of it and I'm going to be my own boss just like before. A 9-5 day is not feasible for a student that likes to watch football, likes to drink and likes to indulge himself sometimes but I'm sure there is some middle ground that I just haven't been able to find consistently before. It's worth another go and I'll report back in a couple of months - if this timetable that I so covet allows me to do so.

Thanks for reading and apologies for the length of today's post. These last few days have been something of a detox for me and the fact that so many people continue to read (and yes I know how many people read these posts!) means that I must be saying something that makes a modicum of sense.

Martin